What KIOSfoundation does

KIOS Foundation (legal name: Kansalaisjärjestöjen ihmisoikeussäätiö KIOS sr) is a Finnish non-profit foundation established in 1998 and headquartered in Helsinki at Lintulahdenkatu 10. It was founded through discussions between 11 Finnish NGOs and Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs, alongside sister foundations Siemenpuu (environment) and Abilis (disability). The foundation channels Finnish government development cooperation funds directly to civil society organizations in developing countries, with a progressive narrowing of geographic focus from global (1998-2010) to 12 focus countries (2011-2015), then to six focus countries (2016-2020), and currently East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi) and South Asia (Nepal, Sri Lanka, plus Tibetan exile organizations).

Its core services consist of: a Human Rights Grant Funding Programme supporting approximately 30 civil society organizations annually across themes of non-discrimination and gender equality, democratic rights and rule of law, and responsible business and human rights; the Haki Ni Yetu Rights, Governance and Accountability Project in Kenya (EU-funded 2023-2027, implemented with InformAction and CSO Network); a Resilience Fund providing emergency assistance to at-risk human rights defenders; and capacity-building and mentoring support. Documented outcomes include over 17,000 people receiving legal aid in Nepal with more than EUR 4 million in compensation recovered, 18,000 Ugandan villagers regaining land access, and 17 factories closed in Kenya following environmental justice campaigns.

Revenue is derived from three streams: development cooperation funding from Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs (primary), project-based EU funding (notably the four-year Haki Ni Yetu grant), and individual/organizational donations feeding the Resilience Fund. The organization holds a fundraising permit (RA/2022/253) issued by the Helsinki Police Department. It has a 15-person staff, is governed by a board elected by the 11 founding NGOs, and does not operate any proprietary technology platform — relying instead on standard office tools including Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Aspicore grant management, Google Forms, and Matomo analytics.

Name

KIOSfoundation

Legal name

Kansalaisjärjestöjen ihmisoikeussäätiö KIOS sr

Website

https://kios.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KIOS Foundation is a Finnish non-profit established in 1998 that channels government and EU grants to approximately 30 civil society organizations annually, supporting human rights work in East Africa and South Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Human Rights Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Human rights funding
• Civil society grants
• Development cooperation
• Human rights defenders
• International grantmaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Development Cooperation Funding: Primary revenue source from institutional government funding, primarily from Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland development cooperation funds. Also receives EU funding for specific projects.
2. European Union Funding: KIOS has a four-year (2023-2027) EU-funded project in Kenya, implemented together with local partners InformAction and CSO Network.
3. Donations and Contributions: Accepts donations from individuals and organizations to support human rights defenders, including emergency Resilience Fund contributions.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KIOS Foundation is a Finnish non-profit foundation that channels institutional and donated funding to civil society organizations and human rights defenders in East Africa and South Asia. It administers grant programmes (including the Haki Ni Yetu project in Kenya), an emergency Resilience Fund for at-risk defenders, and capacity-building/mentoring support for grantees.

Product overview

KIOS Foundation (Kansalaisjärjestöjen ihmisoikeussäätiö) is a Finnish human rights foundation established in 1998 that supports civil society organisations in East Africa and South Asia. The organisation does not offer a technology product but provides a portfolio of human rights funding and support services, including grant funding programmes for civil society organisations, the Haki Ni Yetu rights and accountability project in Kenya, a Resilience Fund for emergency support to human rights defenders at risk, and capacity building and mentoring services. The foundation channels funding primarily to Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Tibetan human rights organisations in exile.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Human Rights Grant Funding Programme
• Haki Ni Yetu Project
• Resilience Fund
• Capacity Building and Mentoring Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 17,000 people received legal aid from People Forum Nepal, with compensation exceeding 4 million euros recovered for clients
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• InformActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan civil society organization implementing the Haki Ni Yetu project together with KIOS and CSO Network, focusing on Rights, Governance and Accountability.
• CSO NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan civil society organization implementing the Haki Ni Yetu project together with KIOS and InformAction, focusing on Rights, Governance and Accountability.
• ProtectDefenders.eucoreOthersEU-established protection mechanism for human rights defenders, co-founded with 12 civil society organizations in 2015. Provides emergency assistance, temporary shelter, training, and monitoring for at-risk defenders.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Article 19: UK-based international NGO focused on freedom of expression and information, providing grants and capacity building to CSOs globally. Comparable in grantmaking to rights-focused CSOs with thematic overlap to KIOS's democratic rights theme.

Direct peers

• ProtectDefenders.eu: EU-funded protection mechanism for human rights defenders co-founded with 12 civil society organizations, including KIOS. Provides emergency assistance, temporary shelter, training, and monitoring for at-risk defenders with overlapping mandate.
• Front Line Defenders: Ireland-based international NGO providing rapid-response grants, security support, and capacity building for at-risk human rights defenders. Operates a Resilience Fund-like mechanism directly comparable to KIOS's emergency support offering.
• Siemenpuu Foundation: The third sister foundation established at the same time as KIOS in 1998. Channel Finnish MFA funding to environmental CSOs in the Global South through a grantmaking model structurally identical to KIOS's approach for human rights.
• Civitates: European philanthropic initiative pooling resources from multiple foundations to support civil society and independent media. Comparable in being a grantmaking body that channels pooled institutional donor funding to rights-focused CSOs across multiple regions.
• Abilis Foundation: Finnish sister foundation founded alongside KIOS in 1998 through the same MFA discussions. Funds disability-rights CSOs in developing countries via grants, sharing the same Finnish NGO founding structure, MFA funding model, and grantmaking approach as KIOS.
• Trust Africa: Pan-African foundation providing grants to civil society organizations across East and West Africa. Comparable in operating model (grantmaking to CSOs) with strong East African focus overlapping KIOS's Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Heinrich Böll Foundation: German political foundation affiliated with the Green Party that funds civil society and human rights work internationally through grants. Comparable grantmaking model for human rights and democracy themes in developing countries.
• Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida): Swedish government development agency funding human rights CSOs through grants in similar geographies. Operates a comparable bilateral development cooperation funding model to Finland's MFA, which is KIOS's primary funder.
• Open Society Foundations: Large global grantmaking foundation supporting human rights, democracy, and rule of law via grants to civil society. Operates across much wider geographies and funding envelope than KIOS but in the same grantmaking-for-human-rights category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KIOSFoundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0jOHG7HGrtOEl8UItVaFHA/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/kiosfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kios-foundation-kansalaisj%C3%A4rjest%C3%B6jen-ihmisoikeuss%C3%A4%C3%A4ti%C3%B6-kios
• Instagraminstagram.com/kios.foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about KIOSfoundation